When the Angels Cry
by Shjanzey
Summary: Hikaru's home life is a mess. Sai fills a more important role than just a go teacher. Hikaru will become one of the fiercest go players the world has ever seen. This does not follow the canon, but borrows the characters, some scenarios and ideas.
1. Chapter 1

"I now pronounce you, man and wife!"

Hikaru sat in the front row as he watched his mother marry for the second time. Although he was only seven years old, there was something about the man that he didn't like. She had explained to him over and over that he just missed his own father and that it was natural for any child to dislike another man being with his mom at the beginning. She said he would get used to it and that soon they would be a happy family, but he didn't know.

"Grandpa?"

"Shh Hikaru, the ceremony is almost over!"

"Will I see you again?"

Heihachi Shindo looked down at his grandson with a deep gaze before ruffling his hair, "You can come to my place whenever you want!"

Hikaru flashed a gateful smile. With grandpa around he would always be happy. Everytime something went wrong he could go to him. When his father died, he stayed with Hikaru and was able to fill the hole that was left by his father's early passing. They had forged a unique relationship that was borne out of love and hardship. Although his mother never knew it, it was because of his grandfather's advice that Hikaru decided to accept the marriage.

Wiggling around in his seat, Hikaru thought about all the great things he was going to do with his grandpa when the voice of Yoshikawa Seiji snapped him out of his reverie, "Ready to go sport?"

"Sport?" he thought.

"But I was going to go to granpa's house and --"

"No you are coming with us. You can't be bouncing between two houses all the time. I am your new dad now so there will be some new rules, come on Hikaru."

Seiji grabbed Hikaru's arm and began walking, as he reached out towards his grandfather, "Grandpa! Grandpa! GRANDPA!"

-  
3 Years Later:

SLAM!

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T WANT LEFTOVERS AGAIN!"

"Seiji! You are drunk again, please don't be upset. This is your favorite, you said you could eat it every day!"

Hikaru could hear his mother pleading with Seiji again. The yelling was his cue to turn off his light, run and hide under his desk. Hikaru trembled as he shut his eyes, but the yelling continued.

"Why you ungrateful little.." CRASH!! "I work all day, spend my money so you and your little freeloader can eat and this is how you repay me?" CRASH!! "Where is he? Where is the brat?"

"Seiji NO! If you are upset it is because of me. Please, he is just a child, he has done nothing!" cried his mother.

Hikaru could hear tears in her voice and it caused a lump to form in his throat. Suddenly he heard a "WUMP" and the voice of his mother was suddenly silent. He strained his ears and could hear the slow methodical steps of his step-father coming up the stairs. When they stopped, it was right outside of his door. With a bang the door to his room flew open.

"I know you are in here Hikaru. You were bad again weren't you?"

Tears began to stream from Hikaru's eyes as he shook like a leaf.

"Come out from under the desk and take your punishment." Standing in the doorway the hallway light reflected off his glasses and smiling teeth making them the only features visible. He looked like a giant shadow with a monstrous skeletal grin as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. Now everything was dark...

After his step-father tired and left, Hikaru lay on the bed weeping. His body ached from the beating, or "punishment" as his step-father like to call it. His eyes fell on a wrapped box next to his bed with a letter resting on top of it. Reaching down he pulled it next to him and hugged it tightly. He couldn't remember how many times he had done this, it was a ritual by now, but it made him feel better. Carefully opening the letter he read its contents, that he already knew by memory

"_**Statement**:_

_To my grandson I bequeath my most valuable posession. It may not be claimed by any other immediate family, nor may it be sold by Hikaru himself. It must remain in his possession for the entirety of his life as a memorial to our everlasting bond."_

_**Testator's Note to Beneficiary**:_

_My dearest Hikaru,_

_Although this final gift may seem small, and inconsequential you will realize one day that I could give you no greater prize or pass on no greater legacy. Just remember Hikaru that it will guide you when you least expect it. My only regret is that I was not able to pass this on to you in person. I know that you will grow into a fine man, and will always love your mother._

_Love Grandpa_"

Tears of sadness fell from Hikaru's eyes, "Why did you leave us grandpa? You could have saved us!"

Hikaru fell asleep in that position, tired and exhausted, grasping the precious gift his grandfather had left him as if holding on for dear life.

Sunlight peaked through the window and played on Hikaru's eyelid. Rolling to the side he stared at the ceiling listening to the birds chirping carefree outside his window.

"How I wish I could be like them" he thought, "I could just fly way at any sign of trouble..."

He sighed and set his grandfather's gift on the ground. Even though it was given to him over 2 years ago he still hadn't opened it. He felt like it would violate the sacredness of his grandfather's memory, and so he had decided to wait for a sign before he would open it. He wasn't sure what the sign was supposed to be, but he knew that he would recognize it the second it appeared.

Slowly getting out of bed his body was still sore. He was glad it was the weekend, since it would be hard to explain the bruises to his classmates. Not like any of them would notice him anyways, and generally the ones that did notice him were only slightly more gentle than his step-father.

Quietly making his way downstairs he saw his mother on her knees cleaning up broken dishes on the floor. Her hair was dischevelled and it looked like she had a black eye.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Oh, Hikaru I am doing great!" she said with forced happiness. She got up and embraced her son planting a kiss on the top of his head.

"But mom, your face..."

"Oh dear, its nothing to worry about. I just fell last night while I was fixing dinner."

Hikaru didn't say anything, but he hated it when she made up excuses for Seiji's abuse. She never admitted that he abused her, and somehow she still loved the man. Even if she tried to do something about it, a separation would most likely leave her and Hikaru in an even worse state. She had been a housewife ever since Hikaru was born and she had no work skills at all.

Hikaru's anger smoldered when he thought about how his mother was treated. Seiji would be gone for days at a time and then suddenly show up drunk and beat them both up. Then the family would return to a sense of "normality" for sometimes as long as a month before the cycle would repeat itself again, starting with one of his absences. Lately his absences, and beatings, had been more frequent.

"Can I go out an play mom?"

"Sure honey, but stay close."

Kissing his mother Hikaru left the house and went into the backyard. He quickly snuck away and made his way towards the Buddhist temple. Whenever he felt sad or lonely he liked to go there, because it was inside of a beautiful garden and it was generally filled with older people paying their respects. The garden gave him a sense of escaping from the harsh world that he lived in. In the middle of the busiest and most crowded city on earth he could walk into Eden and experience peace and quiet. The elders that congregated at the temple reminded him of his grandfather and made him fill nostalgic for his company. Many times he would strike up a conversation just to hear them talk, and pretend like he was with his grandpa again.

Because of this place, Hikaru had been able to maintain his sanity and composure in the midst of a crisis that would have warped someone else.

Making his way to the temple Hikaru noticed that the cherry trees were laden with blossoms. This was by far his most favorite time of the year. Everything was new again, life was beginning. The fragrance of the flowers on the trees was intoxicating and gave him an invigorating sense of life.

Today Hikaru wanted to pay respects to his Grandpa and to pray for guidance. Entering the temple he approached the alter and grabbed some joss sticks. He lit them and set them in the cannister and knelt before the giant image of Buddha hands clasped. Bowing to the floor succressively three times he payed respects to his Grandfather. He stood up and repeated the ritual a second time so that his prayers would be heard. When he finished with the second prostration he sat with his knees folded under him with his hands gently resting on top of them. He stared up at the Buddha and contemplated his life.

"I see you are with us again."

Hikaru started in surprise noticing a bald monk sitting to his immediate right. He had been so intent in his worship that he did not notice the man approach.

Sensing his confusion the monk continued, "It is not often one so young comes to us so often."

"Well," Hikaru shyly said, "this place gives me peace I guess."

"A lesson many more could benefit from."

"Yea, well I was hoping all my problems could be taken away too" sighed Hikaru.

The monk merely smiled as he looked down compassionately at Hikaru. "Have you ever heard of self-salvation?"

"What is that?"

"If you were to fall into a deep pool, what would you do?"

"Well, duh I'd swim to the edge and get out."

"What if you could not swim?"

Hikaru balked at the question, "I...guess...I would scream for help and hope someone heard me."

"Aha" said the monk. "You see that in both your answers you provided the path to self-salvation. If we liken this to our life today, some people would question where the pool came from, and why it had to jump in their way. As they drowned they would pray for a miracle, or become bitter that it did not happen to others. Meanwhile salvation lay within their grasp and yet their great sin was in failing to act, not in that the fell into the pool. The essence of life is change. If you can remember that then you can look forward to the next change in life."

The monk stood up and patted Hikaru on the head saying, "The answers to your problems are not so far out of your reach as you think."

As Hikaru watched the kind monk walk away he scratched his head in confusion. "What exactly was he talking about?" He had never been good in school and he felt like he had just endured one of his Math teacher's famous lectures. Sadness slowly filled him as he left the temple grounds. Walking down the great stairs he realized his problems were still there, and that as soon as he left the temple garden they would be as real as they were last night.

Tears began to fill his eyes as he reached the rows of Cherry trees. He stopped to look at them once more before he left. As the first tear fell a strong breeze began to blow. It seemed as if the trees sighed in unison as they released their hold on the blossoms and a pink blizzard enveloped Hikaru. He was overwhelmed by such an awe inspiring event and he felt as if he was in a dream. The words of the monk came unbidden to his mind

_The answers to your problems are not so far out of your reach..._

Then his grandfather's note sang out , _Just remember Hikaru that it will guide you when you least expect it_

At that moment Hikaru knew -- It was time to open the present.


	2. Chapter 2

Hikaru stood in his bedroom huffing from recent exertion. His face was red, and a slight sheen of sweat glimmered from his face. Standing next to his bed he looked down at the package his grandfather had left him.

Hikaru thought back to the moment when he decided he would finally open it. The decision had filled him with such undescribable joy that he ran as fast as he could to get home. Reaching the house he rushed through the back door and through the kitchen.

"Hikaru honey, you are just in time for lunch" his mom said.

"I'm really not that hungry mom," he started. When he saw the look on her face, he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of it so he sat down and started to cram the food in his mouth.

In surprise his mom said, "I thought you weren't hungry?"

"MRFLLLGRRR!" was all that came out of his mouth. As soon as his plate was empty he said with a spray of crumbs, "Mom I'm freging tfrrl myfl droom"

She merely blinked and shook her head as he tore up the stairs to his room.

Now that he stood here, he couldn't believe that the moment had finally come. Bending down Hikaru grabbed the package reverantly and set it on his bed. He couldn't count the number of times he had held it for comfort, glazing the wrapping with his tears. Opening the box would mean an end to that comfort. He felt scared and sad at the same time, but he knew that he had to open the package now. He saw the sign, it was time.

Hikaru gingerly untied the ribbon that bound the box tightly. Once it was removed the top easily came off. Closing his eyes he reached in and felt something cube-like and wooden. Lifting it up out of the box he carried it to the middle of his room and set it on the floor. Once he had sat down he opened his eyes and was greeted by a wooden square with grid-lines on the top. Two bowls partially obscured the grid, as they sat on top of the cube.

Scratching his head, he tried to comprehend what it was. He had never seen anything like this before. Lifting the lid to one of the bowls he saw it was filled with a bunch of little black stones. In the other bowl he saw the same thing but the were white.

"Grandpa, I don't understand", Hikaru said.

Setting the bowls to the ground he examined the little table more closely. He could see that the wood was beautiful and whoever made it was probably a master. Unfortunately there were a few blemishes on the top, but Hikaru thought maybe were made by his grandfather which made him feel much closer.

_Hello Hikaru, I have been waiting for you._

The sudden formation of words from thin air scared Hikaru as he jumped in place. "Wh..who's there?!" Hikaru stood up and looked around wide-eyed in panic.

_I came from the board, I have been watching you._

"Stop it! You are scaring me!" Hikaru yelled as he ran out of his room. Just as quickly as he went up he came running down, streaking past his mom and out the back door.

As she watched him concern lined her face, "What has gotten into him? He has suddenly started acting so strange..."

As her thoughts continued along those lines Hikaru was running back to the temple. "My room is haunted! What kind of present is that grandpa? Now I need an exorcist to come and cleanse the house!"

People jumped out of the way and stared at the strange boy who was running and yelling at the same time. Most people laughed and shook their heads thinking "Boys will be boys, youth has such energy!" Others, however, thought he was a brat on the rampage who's parents needed to teach him manners, and more respect for his elders.

When Hikaru arrived at the beautiful park he finally slowed down. This was a holy place, so he felt safe here. He couldn't believe it, but it was just a few hours ago that he was here looking for answers. Unfortunately the answer he got wasn't what he expected. Climbing the stairs to the temple, he looked everywhere to find a monk. Generally they were everwhere, either sweeping the temple grounds, helping the elderly up the stairs, or tending to the garden. Aside from the monk he saw this morning he couldn't find anyone. The temple grounds were unusually quiet and empty.

As Hikaru entered the temple where he made his prayers he finally saw someone sitting at the feet of the Buddha. A man dressed in a white kimono, with a style that looked like it came out of the ancient television shows. The man turned his head and looked straight at Hikaru. He looked like he was young, with long black hair and a wierd hat. Nodding towards Hikaru the man tapped to his side with a fan indicating he wanted him to sit down.

Seeing nobody else around Hikaru went over and sat down, respectfully gazing on the Buddha.

_You seem very disturbed, child..._

Hikaru's face flushed bright red, "Well...I"

_No need to be embarrassed. Sometimes it helps to talk to a stranger about your problems._

"It's not that sir, its just...well...I am afraid you will laugh" he said with his head bowed low in embarrassment.

_Well, how will you know if you don't tell me?_

Hikaru scratched his head in thought and looked at the man, "Well I suppose I could try. You see...I think my room is haunted."

A surprised look appeared on his face, _"Oh my! Yes that is a serious problem. So you came here to have a blessing?"_

"I was hoping they could do something. I always though ghosts were fake, but I heard this voice in my room. And it was talking to me and everything."

The man smiled compassionately, _Are you sure it wasn't your imagination?_

"I know that since I am just a kid that is what most people will think, but I swear I heard it. I only live with my mom and Seiji, and my Seiji wasn't home. Plus there was nowhere the voice could hide. I would tell my mom, but she wouldn't believe me."

_This sounds terrible. How about I come and get rid of this "ghost" for you?_

"You...you can do that?" Hikaru asked incredulously.

_I can try, but it may be a few days before I can come._

"But...what about the ghost? I am scared to go into my room" Hikaru replied in a tremulous voice.

_Don't worry, ghosts are not harmful. They just want to communicate with the living._

"How could you possibly know that?"

Confidently the young man replied, _That is simple, I have a lot of experience with ghosts. There is no way a ghost can hurt you, just trust me on that! So then I will see you in a few days. T_he young man got up and left leaving Hikaru feeling much better.

Dejectedly walked home, worried that the ghost would scare him to death before the man in white would come. Suddenly he just remembered something, "Oh no! I didn't even tell him where I live!"

Seeing him in the back yard, his mom came out, "Hikaru, there you are! Go clean your room."

"Just perfect" he thought, "my mom has set me up on a date with death."

Trudging up the stairs, Hikaru's dread grew with every step. As he reached the door he strained his ears for any sound, but couldn't hear anything. With a sigh of relief, he opened the door and was greeted by the image of the man in white sitting on his bed smiling peacefully.

"You? How did you get in here? I didn't tell you where I live!" Hikaru asked.

_Hikaru...I have actually been here for a long time. I have been waiting for you to discover me._

"But...but that is impossible! I thought ghosts couldn't go to holy ground." he said as he stomped his foot.

The young man laughed, _There is a lot you don't know about ghosts._

After their conversation at the temple, Hikaru felt less scared than before. Closing his door behind him, he still stayed next to it in case it turned out to be an ogre, in which case he would have to run again. "But, I thought you haunted my room. How could you go to a temple?"

_Hikaru, it is not your room that I inhabit, it is you. Since you discovered the board, I am with you now. I will go wherever you go, see what you see, and live what you live._

A shiver ran up Hikarus spine. "But why me?" he whispered.

For the first time since they met, the spirit took on a serious expression, _It is because I have something left to do. Hikaru, your grandfather sent me to you._

Shock reflected in his eyes, Hikaru slumped to the floor holding his head in his hands. Tears streamed hotly down his face as he wept.


	3. Chapter 3

Hikaru rested limply on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He was enjoying the sweet comfort of exhaustion that can only come after the release of powerful emotions. When the ghost mentioned his grandfather he felt like a trigger had been hit as memories and pent up sorrow rushed forth all at once. When Hikaru came back to himself it was starting to get dark outside. Thankfully the ghost had said nothing during his period of grief and settled on waiting patiently.

As if coming out of a trance Hikaru remembered what the ghost had originally said that caused him so much pain. Thinking about it he turned towards the ghost and said, "So if my grandpa sent you, then does that mean you knew him too?"

With a gentle smile the ghost nodded his head, _"Yes I knew him very well, and I am lucky to be able to call him my friend."_

Hikaru's eyes widened in amazement, "You...you were actually friends? You mean my grandpa wasn't afraid of ghosts?"

The ghost laughed as he replied, _"Your grandfather was also shocked at the beginning, but he was a wise man. He quickly accepted me and through our many conversations we become great friends. He often talked about you and his desire to see you grow into a strong man, but he knew that it would never happen. He knew he was dying, and that is why he sent me to you. I guess he thought that in his absence, I would be able to be a mentor to you."_

Tears lined Hikaru's eyes as he listened, "Yeah, that sounds like my grandpa. He always made so many friends, and seemed like he wanted to help everybody." Hikaru's countenance turned dark for a brief moment before he asked, "But my grandpa never told us anything about being sick. What do you mean he knew he was dying?"

The ghost sighed, as he said with a pained expression on his face, _"He didn't tell anybody but me. He said that he did not want to cause you any more worries or pain than what you already had. In truth you grandpa was dying of something he called 'lung cancer'. I was very sad to see my friend die too."_

While the ghost bowed his head in sadness, Hikaru also stared at the floor, "Grandpa...he was always doing stuff like that."

Sharing the common bond of Hikaru's grandfather, the ghost and the boy easily talked and remembered the good things about him. Focusing on the great things they had done with him Hikaru's heart was filled with joy and warmth as well as greatfulness to his new friend who seemed to share the same love that he had. The great part for Hikaru was that the ghost remembered many of the times when he was with his grandpa, so they even had a greater bond of having shared in the same experiences.

After reminiscing about his grandpa Hikaru's curiosity was suddenly piqued, "You seem to know an awful lot about my grandpa and me, but I don't know anything about you."

The ghost's face turned a bright red as it quickly bowed low, _"Forgive me for my rudeness. I am Fujiwara no Sai."_

Hikaru bowed in response, "Pleased to meet you Sai, I am Shindo Hikaru."

Straightening up Sai sat for a moment in thought before saying, _"Now that you know my name I suppose I should start from the very beginning. The problem is, I have been around so long that if I tell the whole story there wouldn't be enough time in your life to finish it. I will first start with where I came from. I used to be a living man just like you, but I was born far away from here about four thousand years ago. At that time I was living in China. My childhood was uneventful but when I was a little older my life was troubled by misfortune. Homeless and without a family or friends I met a man named Shun who, although poor like me, would one day become the Emperor of China._

_From the day I met Shun, until the day I died I never left his side. We shared everything, both grief and happiness, toil and pleasures. It was while I was with him that I created what we called "The sacred game". We saw that many wars occurred for no good reason, or people would create situations that only became worse because they handled it wrong. The game I created was so perfect because it not only provided a means for scholarship, but it also created an opportunity for people to learn strategy, to engage in self-examination, as well as to provide guiding principles by which people could live._

_Shun and I played often, but unfortunately I died young. Shun was hated by his family and they tried many times to kill him. I discovered one of these plots at the last minute and saved Shun by sacrificing myself. I was filled with regret, because I felt like the sacred game had yet to be solved. Shun and I had not discovered the divine move that would reveal the greatest truths to us. To my surprise I awoke shortly after and realized that the gods had granted me an extension to my existence. I like to think that they recognized the value of the sacred game and wanted me to continue teaching people its true worth."_

Hikaru was shocked by what he heard. "I have seen old guys play something like this in the park. Are you saying that you came up with this old man's game?"

With a sad exression Sai nodded, _"Yes I created it, but it is more than just a game. I seem to be attached to that stone game-board that Shun and I created, and have shared the lives of the people who possessed it. Many people feared me and ignored my presence entirely. Others embraced my teachings some of whom were able to become influential and great people. You grandfather was one who embraced the teachings. He was a great man that changed many lives. He was one of my finest pupils."_

"But I see a lot of people playing that game. Why are you still around if it has become so popular?" asked Hikaru

_"That is because its true meaning has been lost. Only the aspect of the game has been preserved. People play it for enjoyment, but its guiding principles were ignored and lost through the ages."_

Hikaru nodded in understanding, "But you said you came from China how did you end up here? How come your name sounds so Japanese?"

With a glint in his eye Sai quickly responded, "_I was in the emperor's palace for many years. Sometimes attached to an emperor, sometimes attached to a great general or minister. Eventually one of the emperors sent my board as a gift to the neighboring kingdom of Japan. He was one of those who was terrified of me and wanted the board as far away from him as possible. Even though my board was already ancient by that time and considered one of the great treasures of the kingdom he still sent it away."_

A shiver ran up Hikaru's spine as he began to realize that he possessed one of the great treasures of the ancient world. Looking closer at the amazing game board he noticed that it was slightly transparent, but carried an overall white fogginess that gave it its solid white appearance. Having never seen anything like it before he was pretty sure it wasn't marble after all. An artifact like this, that carried so much history, was beyond priceless. That thought alone made his head spin.

_"After the emperor sent my board away I got my revenge. He didn't realize I was attached to him for life, so instead of quietly waiting for him to die I selflishly tormented him every chance I got."_ With a guilty look Sai continued, _"He died a few months later out of fright._

_When I became aware I was in a new land it took me a generation to learn the language and customs of your people. I was at that time in the possession of the Fujiwara clan. Since Chinese would not be understood I changed my surname to Fujiwara to honor the first family of my possession, but I kept an approximation of my chinese name in 'Sai'. It was originally Xuai, but now I feel as if this is my country and language. The chinese I spoke compared to what is spoken today are now entirely different. I doubt I could even understand those who inhabit that land."_

Hikaru wandered over to his desk in thought. The story of the ghost was so amazing he didn't know what to think. It was as if he had an immortal God inhabiting his room, that chose to guide him personally. "Sai?"

The ghost looked up expectantly

"Do you think you could teach me this sacred game? You know...as it was meant to be taught?"

The ghost raised his long sleeve to his face as tears formed in his eyes, _"Oh Hikaru! I never thought I would be so happy to hear someone ask me that again."_

Gesturing to the board in the center of Hikaru's room Sai beckoned him to sit down on one side. _"First you have to realize that once you start learning you will be changed for ever. You will do thing differently than before and the life you have today will be left behind. This teaching alone has stopped many people from progressing any further. You can still play the game and enjoy it, but you will never understand it completely."_

Hikaru nodded in excitement, "Please teach me. I never want to go back to the old life._"_ Bowing low accross the board Hikaru asked, "Fujiwara no Sai please take me as your student."

_"Very well. From today on I will be your teacher. You must strive to work hard because it will not be easy. More importantly you must strive to practice the teachings I give you._

Hikaru loudly said, "I PROMISE!" With that he sat up and looked expectantly into the face of his teacher.

* * *

_**Think I can do better? **_

_**Critical comments and reviews are strongly encouraged! Help me make this a more enjoyable story for everyone**._


	4. Chapter 4

As Hikaru sat expectantly in front of the Goban he unexpectedly heard the door slam downstairs. Sai could see the color from his face drain, "Hikaru what is wrong?"

With his head bowed he replied, "Seiji is home, and he never comes home this early unless he is drunk."

Fire smoldered in Sai's eyes, but he kept his composure, "Why don't we go outside."

Fear reflected in Hikaru's eyes as he considered Sai's suggestion, "But what if I get caught?"

A wave of sorrow swept over Sai. Having been a sentient being for thousands of years, many times he took his own experience for granted. He had forgotton just how little Hikaru knew, and how innocent he still was. With a gentle voice he replied, "Hikaru I have watched you many times when he has come back. In a short time he will undoubtedly be up here to vent his rage. Why don't we try to avoid that altogether today?"

"But I can't, it wouldn't be fair. My mom she..."

Sai cut him off in anger, "Hikaru! I have not forgotten about her. That is a battle we WILL fight, but you are not ready yet. Now hurry, we must go before it is too late."

Hikaru choked back his tears and nodded. Arriving at the top of the stairs he could hear Seiji verbally berating his mother. As quietly as he could he crept down the stairs and slipped out the back door and ran as fast as he could. After a few blocks he was out of breath and felt like he was reasonably safe.

"Hikaru lets go to park. I remember your grandpa used to visit them to play go. While we are walking I can start explaining the game."

Hikaru merely nodded, "Okay, I know one that is pretty close."

As they walked towards the park the sun beamed brightly on Hikaru. Dust particles floated through the air giving the sense that a spotlight was shining down. A light breeze wafting a sweet floral scent reached Hikaru's nose, increasing a new calming feeling that was slowly washing over him. It did not diminish his concern for his Mother, but it did galvanize his resolve to learn all he could so that he could protect her. Drowning out the furious rush of honks and ever-present revving of engines he listened to Sai's lecture.

"I want you to imagine the go board in your mind, just like you saw it in your room."

The 19x19 grid danced in Hikaru's mind as he recalled the beautiful stone goban that his grandfather left him.

"The first thing that you must learn is that the sacred game, that people now call Go, is more than a simple game. It was designed to be a guide to life, a tool for direction, and an enabler for greater things. The board as you see it now represents an individual life, and everyone starts out the same. As you progress through life, however, you start to make decisions and your life will start to follow a certain path. Each decision you make is the intersection of two lines. So if you are playing black, when you place your stone that represents a decision that you have made."

Hikaru nodded as he began to understand Sai's explanation. "So I can place my piece anywhere? It seems like I have so much freedom with my choices!"

Sai chuckled at his response, "In a perfect world that would be true. But remember there is also an opponent playing against you. This opponent represents two things. The first is that every decision you make will have a direct consequence no matter how innocent. You will soon see that this game has a perfect way of illustrating it, but for now let me give a more tangible example. Just as you have the freedom to move where you wish on the board, you also have the freedom to make any decision you want. Unfortunately, having such freedom does not make it a good idea to make such a decision. What if you exercised your freedom of decision and decided to cheat on the test, in doing so you got caught and the result was that you failed the course and were expelled from your school."

After hearing this explanation Hikaru stopped in his tracks, "So it isn't as simple as I thought...but then how do I know what is a good move?"

"We will soon see" smiled Sai.

Quelling his sudden fear Hikaru began walking again. Having just arrived at the park they walked to where the old men were playing go. As they walked Sai continued, "The board can be divided in to four quadrants. Each of these four quadrants represent a different aspect of your life."

Hikaru scratched his head confused, "I am not sure I understand."

Sai nodded, "I think now would be a good time for me to show you with an example. Lets find a game of go."

"You...you mean play against one of these guys?"

"Of course! But don't worry I will tell you where to move. Just place the pieces and listen to my explanation. Do you think you can do that?"

Relieved that he wouldn't have to really play Hikaru nodded his head and started looking around. Soon he saw a younger man quickly pulling out some stones and sitting at one of the small tables. Approaching him Hikaru said, "Um, do you think we could play?"

Surprised the young man smiled and nodded, "Of course. You know how to play? Do you need a handicap?"

"Handicap?" thought Hikaru. "What is that..."

Sai interrupted his thoughts, "Don't worry about it. Tell him you want an even game."

"Lets play an even game." With a small bow he introduced himself, "I am Shindo Hikaru."

The young man returned his bow, "Hiroshi Daisuke, I am honored to meet you. I will let you play white since you are so young." Daisuke handed him the bowl containing the white stones and sat down. He quickly bowed and said, "Onegaishimasu!"

Confused, Hikaru did the same out of embarrassment. "Now what?" He thought

Sai stood next to the board looking down and then pointed with his fan, "Place a stone here."

As Hikaru placed his stone Sai continued to talk, "This is a star point. Remember that, because it will be very important."

The young man, Daisuke, didn't think long before placing a stone of his own. From that move, the game maintained a quick pace. As soon as Hikaru placed a stone, Daisuke would quickly respond.

"This man is playing an agressive style." said Sai, "As soon as I move he tries to attack the position, but he does so without any thought to himself. Watch what happens if we move here." Sai then pointed to a position in the upper left quadrant, where there hadn't been many moves yet.

Hikaru's opponent, caught up in the game, seemed to see an opponening as he placed another attack in the bottom right quadrant where the game had developed most. Switching tactics Sai alternated between defending the lower right quadrant and building his territory in the upper left quadrant. Soon the fight in the lower right spilled over to the lower left. Meanwhile Sai had secured the entire top half of the board without any resistance at all. On top of that, Daisuke couldn't seem to get the upper hand in the fights he actively engaged in. With a foresight built through countless games over thousands of years, Sai had planned ahead and cut him off at every avenue. When the fight on the lower half of the board fizzled out he suddenly seemed to become aware of the rest of the board. His eyes widened in what looked like surprise, mixed with panic. "You..you...but how could? Your only a kid!" he sputtered.

Lowering his head a loud sighed erupted from the young man as he visibly seemed to wilt. "I resign" he muttered.

Sai stared thoughtfully at the young man before saying to Hikaru, "Tell him exactly what I say. I am going to teach you about the four quadrants, and at the same time we will help him out."

Hikaru nodded and began to speak Sai's words, "You seem to be very stressed out."

Nodding Daisuke replied, "Thats an understatement."

"You are spending so much time at work and yet still failing, its really too bad."

Daisuke's eyes goggled as he stared at the kid, "How could you possibly know?"

Hikaru smiled and pointed at the board, "Your game told me." Pointing at the lower right quadrant of the board he began to explain, "Remember when we started to battle in this quadrant of the board. You became so focused on it, that you neglected the rest of the board. Not only that but you became reckless by continually attacking. You do the same thing with your job."

Laughing the young man began to make fun, "Oh, so by playing a stupid game even a little kid can tell I'm a failure? You got to be joking kid." He ran his hand through his hair and began to stand up.

"Wait!" yelled Hikaru, "Yes I was able to tell by your game, but that isn't all. You came to the park still wearing your work clothes. You are obviously taking a break, but you had no intention of going home because your badge says you work at RDecon Systems, which is just across the street. You also haven't shaved for probably two days, so that means you haven't been home during that time either. You have obviously been working the entire time. I also know you are stressed because you came out here to play a game. It means that you wanted a few minutes to relax and forget about your worries, but you still felt like you didn't have too much time so you felt like you had to play quickly so you could be back within a reasonable amount of time."

Daisuke slowly sat back down, "Wow kid, you are really observant. I didn't realize it was that obvious."

"I didn't really notice until we played our game, though." Hikaru pointed to the attack that Sai started in the upper left quadrant. "Remember when I moved here?"

"Yea, I thought that was an obvious mistake that gave me an opening to exploit an attack. Somehow you not only stopped my attack down there, but completely overwhelmed me."

Hikaru nodded thoughtfully, "I did that to test your reaction. Once I knew you wouldn't give up your attack in order to defend, it created a new opportunity for victory. It also made me realize something else."

With a confused look the Daisuke replied, "What else could you have possibly realized?"

"I realized that you also ignore other facets of your own life, and it is causing you to lose the 'battle' there as well. I can tell that you are having trouble at home with your wife. The two of you seem to be growing apart, and your wife complains that you spend all of your time at work. You probably say to her that just as soon as you get ahead you will be able to finally spend more time at home with her. The reality is that by ignoring her completely you are losing huge amounts of territory while at the same time you are slowly losing the battle at work, no matter how you try to attack."

"Thats impossible! There is no way you would know that."

Hikaru coughed and pointed to his phone, "Your phone indicates 3 missed calls, the latest from a number marked 'Hiroshi Hanako'. Since you are wearing a wedding ring I am guessing that all three calls came from her and that you didn't answer because you knew it would end up in a fight."

Daisuke's head was bowed low as dark spots began to form on the goban, "Hanako...she, she deserves better."

Hikaru stood up and put his hand on Daisuke's shoulder, "You are losing the battle aren't you?"

He nodded in response, unable to reply.

"There is a way to win the battle," Hikaru started. Daisuke slowly raised his head, a small seed of hope reflected in his eyes.

"Instead of constantly attacking you need to learn the value of playing a balanced game. If you had defended in the upper left when I started making territory up there, you could have also extended towards the middle at the same time. This would have moved you closer to our fight on the lower right quadrant creating a stronger position for you to move to. It would have also solidified your presence in the center of the board, which would have given you influence over the remaining two quadrants of the board. With such a seemingly simple move you have both saved your neglected quadrant and allowed yourself to attack the other quadrants more forcefully!"

Daisuke nodded his head vigorously as Hikaru finished relating Sai's words.

"Kid..no Hikaru! You are right, I need to play more defense!" he said excitedly as he stood up quickly while stuffing his things in his bag.

Daisuke?" Hikaru asked as the young man shouldered his bag and began to rush away. Stopping Daisuke turned around and looked expectantly at Hikaru, his phone already open in his hand.

"Where are you going?"

With a huge smile on his face he replied, "To see Hanako!" Turning around Daisuke raised the phone to his ear and Hikaru could barely hear him say, "Honey? Yea its me, I'm coming home!"


	5. Chapter 5

**The end of last chapter was a critical point in the story. There were so many possibilities, but they were all unsatisfactory to continue this story. Fortunately it worked itself out and I was able to move on.**

* * *

Hikaru sat in his room with a faint smile on his face, "The four quadrants. That was amazing Sai! I still can't believe you were able to tell so much about that guy."

Sai only nodded, "Remember what I told you Hikaru, this game was designed with a more far-reaching goal in mind. What I just did wasn't that remarkable. If you think about it the signs were already in place. The quick game of go that we played only served to reveal and solidify what was already there to be discovered. There was no magic in that."

Hikaru slowly nodded his head, "I guess you are right. I mean, his clothes, his unshaven appearance, even his missed calls on his cell phone. That was all there, but I didn't really think about any of it."

"Now that you have seen it Hikaru remember this lesson. The first thing that Go should teach you is not just to see a move. You should observe the move and then try to understand what it means. The same thing applies to people when you observe each detail they present to you and then try to understand the meaning. Even you have been able to do this. When your step-father comes home early what does this mean?"

Hikaru shuddered as he whispered, "It means he is drunk."

Sai patted Hikaru on the back and said no more, he was now sure that Hikaru finally understood this point clearly.

"Hikaru lets play a teaching game."

Without a word Hikaru retrieved the priceless goban and prepared to play his mentor.

* * *

"Hikaru wake up! If you don't get ready you'll be late for school."

Startled to life by his mom's yells Hikaru stumbled out of bed and rushed through his morning routine. With his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth and eyes half open Hikaru wearily walked into the kitchen. His mother handed him a Bento for lunch and some rice balls for breakfast.

Pushing him out the door she said, "Hurry up Hikaru, you don't want to be late."

For Hikaru the only highlite about school was that it kept him away from home, and by proxy that meant he wouldn't have to be around Seiji. Other than that it was an incredible bore and he saw it as nothing more than a waste of time.

With his head lolling backwards, his gaze was fixed firmly on the ceiling, a slight drip of drool was coming from the side of his mouth when a still small voice invaded his conciousness.

"Hikaru...you should probably pay attention to this, it is important!"

"Shut up Sai! This is incredibly boring!" he shouted. Slowly realizing what he had done Hikaru looked around and noticed the entire class, including the instructor, were all staring at him.

"Hikaru, would you please stay after class today?"

Hikaru lowered his head and turned bright red as the entire class burst out in laughter. "Yes sir" he was barely able to utter.

The teacher went back to his lecture on mathematics and the rest of the day passed by uneventfully.

As Hikaru waited for his last class to end Sai spoke up again, "Hikaru I want you to know that this is important for your training. What you are learning today will prepare you for tomorrow's battles!"

Silently Hikaru painfully responded, "I know that Sai its just..."

As the other students filed out Sai stared at Hikaru with concern. When the classroom was empty the teacher finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Hikaru, every day you just sit there staring at the ceiling. I am afraid that if you don't pay attention you aren't going to keep up with the class."

Hikaru sighed as he hung his head.

"According to my records your test scores are just good enough, but nothing remarkable. Today I would like to give your parents a call to recommend an extra three hours of tutoring after school."

Hikaru whipped his head up exclaiming, "No! Anything but that."

The teacher stared at him in suprise.

"Professor Morita please let me explain!"

After a short pause, he hesitantly nodded.

With a cough Hikaru began to mumble, "Well...its just that this class is actually too easy. I stare at the ceiling because I already know this stuff."

Tapping his pen lightly on the table Professor Morita slowly lifted his eyebrows in disbelief, "Your scores indicate just the opposite."

Hikaru flushed red, "Well, sir, its just that, I get picked on a lot. After school I have to take a different way home each day so that I don't get beaten up. If I stand out it would just make them hate me even more. Since I don't have any friends I used to go home and read all the books, but after reading through them several times I got bored, I'm very sorry."

"Hmmm....". Shuffling through his desk Professor Morita pulled out a stapled group of papers. It looked like it was about 3 pages long. "Fill this out for me then. If that is true then you might be able to figure this out, but if you are lying to me I will know and it will be extra lessons after school."

Taking the paper Hikaru sat down and stared at it. He sighed after reading the first problem. Still the same old easy stuff. He quickly finished filling in the answers and handed the sheet back after about 15 minutes.

With a slight smile the Professor said, "Ah, so it was too hard afterall?" After looking down he exclaimed, "Oh!" Quickly flipping through the test an excited gleam entered his eyes. "Hikaru! Do you realize you should have at best gotten a 50% on this test? To master these concepts it usually takes four more grades."

Suddenly two people stared at Hikaru as their jaws dropped to the floor. An awestruck expression filled the Professors face as a new understanding hit him, "Do you know what your current grade in the class is?"

Sai stood there with an amused gleam in his eyes.

Hikaru bashfully responded, "I should have an 89.3%"

"Your skill is beyond normal. You were able to intentionally fake your own grade. That means you have to have a deep enough knowledge to know if you will get every question right or wrong, and then decide how many points you will intentionally miss."

"Well, I was so bored I had to do something to make the class interesting."

The Professor simply nodded and told Hikaru to go home. "We will talk again tomorrow."

After Hikaru left Sai shouted with glee, "Wow Hikaru! That was amazing! Who would have known you are such a natural talent." The excitement on his face suddenly drained when he saw Hikaru's expression.

"Now that my secret is out I am going to be picked on even more." A frantic tear rolled down Hikaru's face. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Tears clouded his vision as he blindly followed his memorized route home. Hikaru was suddenly shocked by a furious shout, "Hikaru how DARE you!"

"What..what did I do? Sai, why are you yelling at me?"

A stern faced ghost stood directly in his path with his arms crossed over his chest. "Hikaru when are you going to realize that things are different now?"

"I...I don't know what you mean"

"Remember the time before you met me? You were stuck hiding in your room running from the world, but you took a leap of faith and decided to become my disciple. Here you are worrying about something from yesterday when now you have me. Did it ever occur to you that a ghost who has been around for thousands of years, who has walked through hundreds of lives, might have encountered something like this before?"

What Sai said did seem to make a lot of sense.

"Well it seems like I have gone a little too easy on you. I didn't realize how much work we really have to do. Tomorrow I am going to have some new tasks for you to do. Even if you are the most brilliant person in the world, that is only half of the equation to being a complete person. Today you have shown me you have a developed mind, so we need to focus on developing your body and how you relate to other."

Hikaru visibly squirmed at the thought, "But I am no good at those things."

A sadistic grin came to Sai's face. "Oh, but you will be!"

The fire in Sai's eyes made the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stand up. "What could he possibly have in store for me?"

* * *

Hikaru stood in the park as Sai began a lecture.

"Since you admitted to bullies taking advantage of you, I am going to teach you a method to avoid them."

Pausing in thought Hikaru quietly mumbled, "B-but I already have a method that works well. It makes no sense to learn another."

An evil aura suddenly surrounded the ghost as a maniacal grin began to spread accross his face. Hikaru couldn't help but take a few steps back. "Hikaru, Hikaru, in Go many times the object of your focus doesn't translate to your goal. This method of avoiding bullies, is merely a foundation for the real battle that lies ahead. You are simply laying a stone down here, because it is going to put you in an advantageous position for the moment of true battle."

Hikaru cocked his head in bewilderment, but conceded anyways, "Okay, Sai. I don't think I understand what you mean, but I'll do it."

With a self-satisfied expression, the aura around Sai faded as he launched into a new discourse, "Hikaru what I am going to teach you is a method of footwork. In China we have have a symbol called the bagua. It is arranged in a circular pattern comprised of 8 different symbols. Right now the 8 symbols are not important, but what is important is that the footwork you are learning follows this circular symbol."

After the brief introduction Sai bent at the knees squatting a little lower, "Now this is the starting position. Keep your hands at your side with your palms pressing down. This will keep you in a sinking position. When you take a step forward make sure to push from the heel of your back leg, and grind forward on the heel of your front leg. Before you take another step turn your lead foot inwards by 45 degrees and step again. It should take you 8 steps to complete a circle." After Sai's explanation he did a short demonstration completing four circles as if gliding over the ground. When he was finished he looked towards Hikaru expectantly.

Knowing it was his turn Hikaru tried to copy what Sai had just shown him. On the first step his leading heel got caught on something and he fell over. The pain in his shoulder was nothing compared to that of Sai's laughter. Between the fits of uncontrollable spasms he kept repeating, "Only one step".

With his face red from embarrassment, Hikaru began again. After several tries he was able to complete an entire circle, when he kept going he suddenly had to stop after the second circle. It was if both his muscles and his lungs had decided to give up on him. Gasping for breath he said, "Sai, it doesn't seem like I did much, so why am I so out of breath."

"Thats a good question Hikaru." He solemnly replied. All traces of humour or mischief had left the ghost, "this method trains two aspects of your body. Your external shell, which includes the muscles, the ligaments, the joints, and the bones. It also trains the internal corpus, that includes your organs, the nerve system, and the systems of circulation. You are tired because you have never trained the internal system. After daily practice, you are going to be able to walk this way for an hour without becoming tired. Instead of two circles you will do a thousand."

Hikaru almost choked when he heard that.

"Don't worry Hikaru, that is enough for today. If we try for too much at once it will only cause you to injure yourself. For now lets head home so we can play a few games of Go."

As Hikaru quietly trudged home Sai continued to ramble on. He had never felt so tired in his life. After a lull of silence Sai suddenly changed the subject, "Hikaru tomorrow at school you are going to do something."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard some of your classmates talking about school clubs. I think you should find one and join it tomorrow."

Hikaru cursed under his breath, "He had to go and think of everything didn't he?"

* * *

Then next day as Hikaru arrived at school the wind began to blow and dark ominous clouds crept over head. As if on cue everything was illuminated with a bright blue sheen for the briefest of seconds as a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky. "This isn't a good sign" thought Hikaru.

Arriving at the front entrance Professor Morita was waiting expectantly. "Hikaru could you come with me please?"

With a gulp Hikaru glanced at Sai out of the corner of his eye, before following silently behind his teacher. The further they walked, the more apparent the destination became. They were headed straight for the Principal's office. Walking into the office Professor Morita went to stand behind the principal, who looked like a Business CEO; dressed in a stylish dark suit, sitting in a leather chair behind a large cherry desk. Looking up from a folder of neatly organized papers he smoothly welcomed the student in, "Ah Hikaru please sit down. I just got off the phone with your mother and..."

"Please sir I can explain. I didn't mean to be late last week, its just that my alarm didn't go off and so I woke up late. My mom generally gets me up in the morning, but she and my father were away so it is completely my fault. By the time I reached the station, the 7:45 train had already left."

Professor Morita and the principal looked at each other with a stunned expression before erupting in surprised laughter. "Hikaru this isn't about you being late. It is about the test Professor Morita had you take yesterday. He showed it to me and we were both in agreement that something would have to be done about it. I have taken the liberty of recommending you to Haze Junior High School. You are ready for an advanced curriculum and the faculty at Haze are excited about having you as a new student."

Hikaru took a deep breath, partly out of relief and partly out of panic.

"Your mother was also surprised about the news, but gave her consent to let you make the step up." The principal snuck out from behind the cover of his desk and gave Hikaru a hearty handshake, "You've done an excellent job and you have a bright future. I wanted to congratulate you personally on your hard work, and encourage you to keep moving in the right direction. One day it will bring you success and make your ancestors proud."

"Yes Principal!" Hikaru said as he bowed deeply.

Ruffling Hikaru's hair the Principal walked him to the door, "Hikaru, Professor Morita will take you to Haze and introduce you to your new teachers."

Hikaru was in a state of shock as he was herded by Professor Morita towards the school exit. With a happy expression Sai said, "What an admirable man. He truly understands the heavy responsibility of a mentor and teacher. If only we could have met while I was still alive..."

After thirty minutes he arrived at the campus of Haze Junior High. He could hardly believe that he was starting a Junior High school 3 years early. So much had changed since Sai had so recently entered his life. Although it felt like only a few day, with the routine they had worked out 3 months had already flown by. Days consumed by school followed by evenings full of Go. The only new change was the strange footwork he had learned the day before. Things were definitely getting complicated, it was as if his life was suddenly being sucked down a rage of rapids that he was powerless to control. At this point he was just hanging on for dear life.

Walking into his new home room Professor Morita whispered a few words to the young woman who appeared to be the teacher. Hikaru's skin crawled as he felt the gaze of 20 older students boring into him. With a small bow Professor Morita left leaving Hikaru isolated and on his own, facing off an entire room full of unknown people.

"Shindo-kun, I'm your teacher. You can call me Miss Sakurai. Class this is our new student Shindo Hikaru. Although he is a little bit younger than you all he is still here to learn, so I want you all to treat him as any other student."

"Yes Miss Sakurai" replied the class in unison.

"Shindo-kun please introduce yourself and then take a seat next to Fujisaki-chan back there in the third row."

Hikaru tried to calm the nerves in his stomach but nothing seemed to help, "Um, I am Shindo Hikaru. Uh, I am 10 years old and I like to visit the Shinto Shrine on weekends."

With a heavy silence and the eyes of his new classmates still on him he rushed to his seat and sat down. He hung his head in embarrassment.

"Fujisaki-chan please share your books with Shindo-kun until we can get him his own."

"Yes Miss Sakurai" said a voice that sounded like the ringing of tiny little bells. The girl sitting next to him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Even though he was only ten years old he could still tell she was pretty, although he didn't quite know what that meant yet.

"I'm Fujisaki Akari" she whispered to him with a glowing smile "its nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you Fujisaki-san" he whispered back.

She merely giggled as she placed the book in between them.

The day passed by, much like his days in elementary school. Somehow he thought it would be much different, but it was pretty much the same format. The teacher giving the students ideas, and concepts to discuss and memorize. It was definitely more challenging than what he was used to, but it was still far from difficult for Hikaru. It only meant he spent less time staring at the ceiling, which would probably keep Sai off his back for a little while.

At lunch Hikaru sat by himself until Akari invited him over to sit with her and her friends. Even though most of them left she still stayed and even smiled the whole time. Feeling nervous he decided to ask her about the school clubs, "Umm Fujisaki-san can you tell me about school clubs?"

She giggled again, "Shindo-kun you don't have to call me that. You can call me Fujisaki-chan if you want."

Hikaru nodded, "Ok"

"So you want to join a school club? I'm not sure they have a Shinto Shrine club." she joked "What else are you interested in?"

Hikaru thought for a few minutes before saying, "Have you ever heard of Go? I like to play that game."

"Isn't that an old man's game?"

"Well, my grandpa kind of started me on it so I guess it is."

"Don't worry" she smiled, "after school I'll introduce you to Tsutsui. He is the president of the Go club. He basically begged everyone to join, but I am not sure how many people even know how to play."

Hikaru had a faint smile on his face, "Thanks Fujisaki-chan."


End file.
